Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

Robert Frost's "Pursuit of the Word" explores the challenge and beauty of capturing complex and intertwined experiences in language. The poem grapples with the quest for a singular word or expression that can encapsulate the union of two distinct yet harmoniously blended elements.

The poem opens with a rhetorical question, asking if there can be a single word that encompasses pairs of seemingly magical and harmonious entities: "Two Cinderella slippers on the hearth, / Two birds of the air the fowler brings to earth." These images evoke a sense of completeness and unity, yet each pair retains its individuality. The reference to Cinderella's slippers highlights a fairy tale's blend of the mundane and the magical, while the birds brought down by a fowler underscore the sudden shift from freedom to captivity.

Frost continues by pondering the fusion of "Two vowel sounds that haply coalesce," suggesting the natural blending of sounds into a cohesive whole, much like the way language itself forms. This is followed by the mythological imagery of "Two such divinities as came to bless / The white swan-mother, Leda, at a birth," referring to the story of Leda and the Swan, where divine intervention leads to the birth of significant figures in Greek mythology. This mythological reference underscores the theme of unity arising from distinct origins.

The next lines, "Two prettiest souls that make of pain and mirth, / Presence and absence, one long life-caress," encapsulate the dual nature of human experience, where contrasting emotions and states of being converge to form a complete life. The interplay of pain and joy, presence and absence, reflects the complexity of existence that Frost seeks to express through language.

Despite the poet's longing for a word that "leaves the vision less than double," he acknowledges the inherent doubleness in what he observes. This is exemplified in the vision he describes: "Which through bare boughs I saw this April night, / And weds in utterance what was really one." Here, Frost presents a scene of natural beauty that is both singular and dual, where the sight through bare boughs unites two elements into one cohesive experience.

The final lines draw a parallel between the celestial and the mundane: "Venus and new Moon, water-drop and bubble, / Equally hanging at an hour's height / Over the blackened hills that hid the sun." Venus and the new Moon, both celestial bodies, are seen alongside a water-drop and a bubble, ordinary yet beautiful elements of the earth. These pairs are depicted as suspended in a moment of equilibrium, highlighting the delicate balance and unity Frost seeks to capture.

In "Pursuit of the Word," Frost ultimately reflects on the elusive nature of language and its capacity to encapsulate the dualities and harmonies of life. The poem underscores the poet's quest to find expressions that can convey the richness of intertwined experiences, acknowledging the difficulty yet celebrating the beauty of this pursuit. Through rich imagery and contemplative tone, Frost invites readers to consider the complexities of capturing life's dualities in words.

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